Closed Stopcock Passageways for High-Flow Dead Volume Flushing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing stopcocks lack efficient mechanisms for increasing fluid flow rates and effectively flushing internal volumes, particularly in medical applications, which can lead to residual fluids causing clots or incorrect dosages.
Innovation Solution
A stopcock design featuring a housing element with multiple ports and a handle element that allows for selective positioning, including fluid flow passageways and guides that bifurcate to increase flow rates and enable flushing without flowing through the port's internal volume, using elastomeric valves and radially extending fluid flow guides to manage fluid flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a conventional stopcock design is used, then the structure is simple, but the fluid flow rate is insufficient and internal volumes cannot be effectively flushed
Solution Approach 1:
The stopcock is divided into multiple functional passageways: a first fluid flow passageway for primary fluid transfer and a second fluid flow passageway for flushing internal volumes. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each function, enabling high flow rates through the first passageway while the second passageway provides dedicated flushing capability without interfering with the main flow path.
Solution Approach 2:
The fluid flow guide is nested within the second fluid flow passageway, creating a concentric arrangement where the guide structure is positioned inside the passageway. This nested configuration allows the flushing mechanism to be integrated within the existing stopcock body without significantly increasing external dimensions or overall structural complexity.
2Reliability
If residual fluid remains in internal volumes, then the stopcock structure remains intact, but clots form and dosages become incorrect
Solution Approach 1:
The second fluid flow passageway is designed to enable preliminary flushing action before primary fluid transfer occurs. By providing a dedicated flushing path that can clear internal volumes in advance, the system ensures that no residual fluid remains to cause clots or dosage errors, while the flushing mechanism can be implemented using standard manufacturing techniques.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If fluid flows through the port's internal volume during flushing, then the flushing action occurs, but contamination risks increase due to atmospheric exposure
Solution Approach 1:
The flushing function is extracted from the primary fluid path by creating a separate second fluid flow passageway. This extracted flushing path allows internal volumes to be cleared without requiring the main port to open to the atmosphere, thereby maintaining isolation from atmospheric contamination while still achieving effective flushing through the dedicated passageway.
Data Source
AI summary
A stopcock, comprising a housing element defining a central bore and at least first, second and third ports; and a handle element which is selectably positionable relative to the housing element; at least one of the housing element and the handle element defining: a first fluid flow passageway communicating between two of the at least first, second and third ports; a second fluid flow passageway communicating between at least two of the at least first, second and third ports, and a fluid flow guide associated with the second fluid flow passageway, the fluid flow guide extending radially towards an inner facing wall of the central bore.